Pandora's Music Box
by Merl Laurence
Summary: Collection of short-shorts inspired by Pandora Radio. See individual chapters for summaries. Will feature the team but also be KoVe centric.
1. Dreaming with a Broken Heart

Pandora's Music Box

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.  
>Summary: Steve has a text conversation with his sister Mary Ann.<br>Spoiler: Small reference to _Ke Kinohi_, Episode 1:13.

Pandora, her name, means "all-giving."

Chapter 1 – Dreaming of a Broken Heart (John Mayer)

# # #

Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett's House  
>Oahu<p>

Steve's restlessness and the rain were a dreaded combination.

Throw in, that it was a much deserved weekend _and_ that he had already gone for a morning swim (before the rain started) _and_ that he had already worked on the Marquis - and Steve of course found that he had nothing to do.

He stood on the second level of his home, leaning on the railing and looking down at his now immaculate living room. The kitchen, den, bathrooms, his bedroom, his childhood room, all cleaned as well. Only Mary's room was left and as he entered her room he stubbed his foot on a pile of CDs next to the door. They all fell, sliding across the hardwood in a fantastic array and Steve found himself groaning in irritation.

She had really only stayed for a few weeks before renting that beach house on the North Shore. But then again, she did stay for one night before Steve put her on a plane back to Los Angeles. After Hiro Noshimuri tried to have her killed, he had no choice really.

Steve shook his head - how Mary Ann managed to get so messy in one night was beyond him, but he really couldn't blame her. She had left clothes strewn across her bed as well as shoes, flip-flops, and books – also spread out all over the floor.

He figured it would be safer to start with picking up the CDs, before he slipped and killed himself. Steve wondered idly why she still had them, but then he realized that they were mixes and he couldn't help but smirk. One was even labeled 'break-ups'. Steve snorted, shaking his head, again. Stepping over the mess on the floor, he turned on her player and put the disc in.

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance as John Mayer's voice filled his sister's tiny room.

_...when you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part. You roll outta bed and down on your knees, and for the moment you can hardly breathe... _

He stumbled around picking things up and organizing them on her shelves.

_...wondering was she really here? Is she standing in my room? No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone... _

Steve found himself listening to the lyrics and couldn't help but groan again. Why he put this CD in was suddenly clear. He pulled out his phone and texted Mary.

STEVE: You left your crappy music

Steve grinned and shoved his phone back into his pants pocket and continued to tidy her room. A few seconds later his phone beeped. He pulled it out and grinned at his sister's response.

MARY: LOL! y r u in my room?

He chuckled to himself and took a seat on her bed as he texted back.

STEVE: cleaning up after you

_...when you're dreaming with a broken heart, the giving up is the hardest part. She takes you in with your crying eyes, then all at once you have to say goodbye..._

He looked out her window, towards the overcast day and the dark clouds over the Pacific. Music continued to fill the space and then another beep brought his attention back to his phone.

MARY: That's y I rented the beach house rembr? What r u listn 2 anyway?

_...wondering could you stay my love? Will you wake up by my side? No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone..._

Steve found himself sighing heavily and making a face as he typed.

STEVE: John Mayer

MARY: My breakup cd?

Mary responded quicker than he anticipated. He snorted and dropped backwards onto her bed, holding his phone above him as he typed.

STEVE: Yup

MARY: U breakup w/ whatshername?

She texted back instantly and Steve found himself staring at the string of words on his phone.

_...now do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand? Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand? Baby won't you get them if I did? No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone... _

He listened to John Mayer croon before answering her.

STEVE: Yeah. Well, she broke up with me.

MARY: ... Sorry Steve, u wanna talk abt it? :(

Another quick reply and he had to smile at his sister's concern.

Steve studied the 'sad' face emoticon and thought that there were some things he would just never do. He sat up and shook his head as he punched away with his thumbs.

STEVE: Nah, I'm fine

MARY: I kno, but still... o.O

STEVE: Thanks, sis. I'm ok.

He stood, put his phone back into his pocket and picked up the remaining books and placed them haphazardly on an empty corner of her nightstand. Taking the clothes off of her bed and one last look at her room, he reached for the door when his phone beeped again. He pulled out his phone and a tender smile spread across his face as he read the message and typed a response.

MARY: I love you 3

STEVE: I love you too, i'll call you later.

_...when you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part..._

End.

# # #

A/N: So this series came about after being inspired from the music that was playing on my Pandora App on my iPhone. This series will mostly likely be a catch-all for short-shorts that I happen to write with a specific song in mind. I hope you all enjoy. Below are the full lyrics to "Dreaming With A Broken Heart."

P.S. Gee, I wonder where I could be going with this particular chapter? Hmm? LOL, you all know me as a die-hard Steve/Kono fan and so of course I will gear most of my stories towards those two and their 'romance.' Please stay 'tuned', get it? And let me know what you think!

Dreaming With A Broken Heart  
>- John Mayer<p>

When you're dreaming with a broken heart  
>The waking up is the hardest part<br>You roll outta bed and down on your knees  
>And for the moment you can hardly breathe<br>Wondering was she really here?  
>Is she standing in my room?<br>No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

When you're dreaming with a broken heart  
>The giving up is the hardest part<br>She takes you in with your crying eyes  
>Then all at once you have to say goodbye<br>Wondering could you stay my love?  
>Will you wake up by my side?<br>No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Now do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand  
>Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?<br>Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?  
>Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?<br>Baby won't you get them if I did?  
>No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...<p>

When you're dreaming with a broken heart  
>The waking up is the hardest part<p> 


	2. Message in a Bottle

Pandora's Music Box

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.  
>Summary: Danny reflects on his life in Hawaii.<br>Spoiler: Tiny reference to Malama Ka Aina, Episode 1:3

Chapter 2 – Message in a Bottle (originally by The Police)

# # #

Danny Williams sat back in the beach chair and regarded the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean in front of him. He held a three-quarter full, bottle of beer in his hand loosely and somewhere in the background, a slower, mellower version of the Police's _Message in a Bottle_ started to play.

_...just cast away and I am lost at sea. Another lonely day and no one here but me. More loneliness, than any man could bear. Rescue me before I fall into despair..._

He snorted at the lyrics as they floated about him. No truer words were spoken – or sang – he thought to himself. A snarky smile spread across his lips. He thought back, remembering when he first moved to the pineapple infested hell he now called home... and _it was_ home – because Grace was here.

_...I_ _send an SOS to the world. I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle..._

Danny took a swig from his beer and stared at the bottle in his hand. He could think of many nights during his first year on Oahu, spent drowning his frustration and sadness in alcohol. He had a crummy little apartment on the edge of Waikiki. It was beer mostly, a lot like the one he was drinking now – brown glass bottles that held no relief but numbed him just enough. He could always handle it, he reasoned. He would never allow himself to ever get too drunk so as not to be there just in case she ever called. Just in case little Gracie called with a nightmare or something.

_...a year had passed since I wrote my note. I should have known it right from the start. Only hope can keep me together. Love can mend your life but love can break your heart..._

But a lot had changed since he first moved to the Islands to be closer to his daughter. His daughter that was taken from him by his ex-wife and her new husband. He followed and made the move, made a new life for himself. Despite the challenges and despite how much he hated Hawaii, at first. He eventually met a lot of good people, made some friends and unfortunately lost one of them. And now? Now things were intensely different.

_...walked out this morning, I don't believe what I saw. A hundred billion bottles, washed up on the shore. It seems I'm not alone at being alone. A hundred million castaways, all looking for a home..._

Oddly enough, things were now better between him and his ex-wife. Most importantly, Grace - his 'Monkey', was happy. And of course, there was something else. He felt a slight twinge in his side from the injury he sustained in a routine drug bust that he and his partner – his team had done earlier in the week.

He heard footsteps bounding next to him and he looked up to see Chin and Gracie running past him towards the water. He watched as his teammate splashed through the shallow waves, barefoot and then hoist his daughter up to smoothly catch the pink football thrown to her by Steve. He smiled as he heard Kono cheer from behind them and at Grace giggling at something Chin said to her as he carried her ashore.

"Danno! I thought you were going to show me how to grill a steak the Jersey way?" Steve called to him, waving a roasting fork.

Danny turned in the beach chair to look back at his companions, his teammates, scattered across Steve's oceanfront backyard. A goofy smile made it's way across his stubbly face. He took one last sip of his beer. Yeah, things were intensely different now. He had a family again – all the other castaways had finally found a home – with each other.

"Where are the tongs? You can't grill steaks with a fork! The juices will leak out if you keep stabbing at it! Oh, you're killing me Steven. Really?"

# # #

A/N: I'm throwing a few not so KoVe-ish chapters in because the other two keep wanting to be heard too. And frankly, Danny and Chin are just too plain cute to ignore. This was an obvious choice for me. Danny would of course see himself as "stranded" as he put it, on the "God forsaken pineapple infested hell-hole," known as Oahu, Hawaii. So yeah, when John Mayer started crooning this song, an image of Danny pitying himself popped into my head.

Message In A Bottle  
>- The Police<p>

Just a castaway  
>An island lost at sea<br>Another lonely day  
>With no one here but me<br>More loneliness  
>Than any man could bear<br>Rescue me before I fall into despair

I'll send an SOS to the world  
>I'll send an SOS to the world<br>I hope that someone gets my  
>Message in a bottle<p>

A year has passed since I wrote my note  
>But I should have known this right from the start<br>Only hope can keep me together  
>Love can mend your life<br>But love can break your heart

I'll send an SOS to the world  
>I'll send an SOS to the world<br>I hope that someone gets my  
>Message in a bottle<p>

Walked out this morning  
>Don't believe what I saw<br>A hundred billion bottles  
>Washed up on the shore<br>Seems I'm not alone at being alone  
>A hundred billion castaways<br>Looking for a home

I'll send an SOS to the world  
>I'll send an SOS to the world<br>I hope that someone gets my  
>Message in a bottle<p>

Sending out an SOS


	3. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Pandora's Music Box

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.  
>Summary: Steve and Kono discuss love.<br>Spoilers: A tiny reference to _Ke Kinohi_, Episode 1:13

Chapter 3 – Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (John Mayer)

# # #

Hula Bar  
>Lewers Street, Honolulu<p>

"Do you think we should step in?" Kono asked, gesturing to the young couple arguing in the corner of the bar the team had been frequenting lately.

Danny and Chin had yet to show and Steve and Kono found themselves almost finishing the first of their drinks and unavoidably taking in the local scene. They'd seen the same couple before, numerous times. They were always verbally fighting and yet, they continually managed to show up together – every weekend. From the booth where she and Steve sat, it was pretty hard to ignore them.

Steve glanced in the direction of Kono's gaze and smirked. "You know, maybe it's like this song." Steve looked at Kono, wondering if she got the reference to the music starting to play at that moment.

_...it's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm. This is a deep and dying breath of this love that we've been working on..._

Kono took a sip of her beer and met Steve's gaze, giving him a questioning look. _Maybe not_.

"_Slow Dancing in a Burning Room_?" he asked.

"You like John Mayer?" she asked back, disbelieving, as she pointed heavenwards at the speakers.

He nodded slightly. "I know, hard to believe. It's Mary's fault, I guess. So yeah, kinda," he said bobbing his head from side to side. He smiled. "That's not what I meant though, Kono."

"Then what do you mean?" she asked.

"Haven't you ever heard a song and found that it referenced something in your life? Like at that moment?"

"Is this a Danny and Bon Jovi thing? Because, I didn't and still don't get your guys' '_carguments'_," she said making quote marks in the air with her fingers.

He shook his head. "No, I meant that I'm kind of finding that I'm identifying with this song, right now."

Kono furrowed her brow.

"Well, not precisely at this moment." He corrected himself, offering her a crooked, apologetic smile. "I mean that, not too long ago, this song really applied to my life. My... personal life, with... Catherine."

"Oh."

Steve was silent, taking another sip of his beer as he watched the bickering couple. He noted that their fighting never really got that serious. He turned back to look at Kono, his eyes never leaving hers as the music continued to float about them.

_...can't seem to hold you like I want to, so I can feel you in my arms. Nobody's gonna come and save you, we pulled too many false alarms..._

"But, this song is so sad," Kono pointed out.

"Yeah, it is. But that was me – us, Catherine and me. We didn't really fight, we were just becoming, more and more – "

"Incompatible." Kono chimed in, finishing his sentence for him.

Steve smiled at her, liking how quick her mind was. "I guess it was a matter of time."

"How do you mean?"

"The song's about realizing it's over," he said, not at all fazed that he was sharing something so personal with her. It felt, he admitted silently to himself, natural.

"Because along the way, you changed. You and maybe she, started wanting different things - and it just didn't feel the same anymore?"

"Yeah," he said, taking the last sip of his beer to really look at Kono. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but return the warmth that he got from it. "I just, didn't feel like I loved her anymore."

Kono looked at him skeptically.

"That sounds bad, huh?"

She nodded. "But that must be why you identified with the song, because it speaks of a love that wasn't destined to last anyway. Listen," she said, as John Mayer's voice continued to echoed in the bar.

_...we're going down, and you can see it too. We're going down, and you know that we're doomed. My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room..._

"Exactly," he said, finally breaking contact and shrugging. "I guess, what really crystallized it for me, was that she didn't seem overly disappointed when she ended it."

Kono studied Steve closely. "Really?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I mean, it's not like she didn't care about me, about us. I knew she did, deeply, at one point. I did too. I guess, I'm lucky that she did something about it," he said as his eyes roamed around the bar.

"Huh."

"Huh, what?" Steve asked as he gazed at her again.

She shrugged. "Nothing."

"It's not, nothing, Kono. What is it?" Steve asked, not bothering to mask his concern.

Kono finished off her beer and dug her thumbnail into the edge of bottle's label. "I just, think it's kind of odd. To fall out of love, like that."

"I don't see it that way," Steve said.

_...go and cry about it – why don't you? My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room. Don't you think we ought to know by now? Don't you think we should have learned somehow?..._

"Then, enlighten me, Boss."

"Okay," Steve said, smiling once again as he leaned his arms onto the table. "There's love that grows from finding that you're compatible and in a way, from settling on your compatibility. Like, you both like puppies or something."

She giggled. "Whoa, you sound like that eHarmony guy," Kono said, half mocking and half serious.

Steve snorted as he shook his head and motioned for two more beers. He waited for their waitress, Leilani, to drop them off before continuing. He handed Kono her beer and held onto the bottle a little longer than necessary, causing her to lift her eyes to meet his.

"Then, if you're lucky, there's the kind of love that develops from an initial attraction to each other," Steve explained, enjoying the light blush creeping up Kono's cheeks. "That's not to say that you aren't going to be compatible, like you won't have the same interests, you'll actually find that you will."

"So now you're talking about _chemistry_," she clarified, still staring back at him.

"Yeah. But it's more than that, deeper than that. I guess, Catherine and I had chemistry," he observed, noting a flicker of something passing through Kono's eyes. He allowed her to pull her bottle free. "But I can honestly say, that I don't think we worked out, because that was all there was to it."

"Really, Steve? When did you get so deep?"

"When I realized, that there was another kind of love," he answered.

Kono arched a brow.

"The kind of love that comes from a developed friendship," he reasoned. He shook his head. "After Catherine broke up with me, I found that I had a lot of time to think about those things and - "

"Why it ended," she supplied, once again finishing his sentence for him. She smiled, noticing the definite sparkle in Steve's blue eyes.

He nodded, chuckling. "You know, you're eventually going to have to stop doing that. Because Danny's once again, going to think we're dating," he said, referencing the time he deciphered a code to reveal Hiro Noshimuri's name through frequency analysis.

Kono smirked.

Steve raised a finger and added, "I also had time to figure out why, I felt so relieved when she did."

"Then you must have felt some guilt too, right?"

He nodded slightly. "A little. Mostly because I never did anything about it. But, I also knew, that I wasn't the only one feeling the relief and guilt. She did too."

"So bottom line, it was amicable, but destined to happen."

"Yeah, you could definitely say that," he said.

"Just like John Mayer sang," Kono concluded.

Steve nodded again and tilted his bottle, clinking it against hers. He turned his attention once more to the couple and saw that they had temporarily put aside their differences to enjoy a drink together.

"You uh, never let me finish," he said, giving her a sidelong glance as he leaned back into the cushioned booth.

"Finish, what?"

"My description of that last kind of love," he said.

"Go ahead," she said, toasting him mid-air with her beer bottle.

"We weren't friends," he stated.

"Who? We weren't?" Kono asked confused. "Oh, you mean you and Catherine weren't friends."

"Yeah."

"And why is that, you think?" Kono asked, genuinely curious. She'd never met Catherine really, Danny had and spoke of her beauty often, and her connections, but that was all she knew of her.

"She was a bit opportunistic, when it came to herself and the things that she wanted."

"But, that doesn't mean she wasn't sincere, Steve," she reasoned. "With you."

"I know and I kinda just ignored that particular part of her personality," Steve explained.

Kono nodded back.

"Anyway, that last kind of love is really a combination of the first two, _plus_ friendship."

She laughed then, her eyes full of mirth and her dimples deepened. "You're full of it, Boss," she said, catching her breath.

"Hey. I'm serious. Compatibility, chemistry and friendship – it all leads to that deeper kind of love," he said. "It's definitely not the type of love John Mayer is singing about." He watched Kono shake her head. "What?"

"I'm finding it hard to digest this," she admitted.

"This, what? Me? Talking about, love?"

"Well, yeah," she answered, almost shyly. "You're a bad-ass, Navy SEAL. You're also the team leader of Five-0."

"And what? I happen to be pretty good at compartmentalizing and masking my feelings but that doesn't mean I don't deserve to be loved," Steve said, looking like a sad puppy.

Kono tilted her head and pouted at his expression. "This whole conversation just got weird – really?" she questioned and was relieved when Steve started chuckling. "You're a SEAL, of course you would be good at hiding how you felt, but, that's not what I meant," she said, smiling, understanding that he was teasing her. "I'm just finding it a little surreal that we're talking about, _love_, of all things."

"Right, I get it. This is pretty personal," he said clearing his throat lightly.

"Yeah, exactly."

Staring at Kono, he said, "and we barely know each other."

"Well, not _barely_," she corrected. "I found out a lot about you tonight, Steve," she said, staring back at him.

"Yeah? Like?" he asked, quirking a brow.

"That despite your rough exterior, you're not just looking for physical connections – you're kinda sensitive and – you like John Mayer," she answered, laughing a little at the end.

Steve laughed too. "And you," he said tilting his bottle towards her, "are caring, smart, beautiful and a _friend_." He purposefully emphasized that last part, hoping he got the desired effect out of her.

Kono blushed. Though she had no idea why.

_Bingo_. Steve smiled at how much cuter she got when she was embarrassed. But then she looked away towards the door and as he followed her gaze, he knew that he didn't mask his disappointment well. So much for being a _bad-ass Navy SEAL_.

Upon seeing Chin and Danny enter, Kono raised her bottle to them to indicate where they were seated. She wasn't quite sure however, if she was so thankful for their timing. One glance at Steve had her thinking she wasn't alone in that sentiment and her stomach did a back-flip.

Kono cleared her throat then, pulling herself together and finding that she was a little saddened that their one on one time was ending. "Thanks for the love lesson, Steve," she said with a sly, little, wink.

"No worries Kono," he replied. "Anytime," he added, smiling rakishly at her in return. Kono snorted loudly and shook her head and Steve found himself laughing again.

End.

# # #

A/N: So, I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, a really sad (but great) song by John Mayer and on the other hand, a moment between Steve and Kono that hints to something more. Anyway, regardless, if it entertained the lot of you that follow this series, I'll be happy.

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room  
>- John Mayer<p>

It's not a silly little moment,  
>It's not the storm before the calm.<br>This is the deep and dying breath of  
>This love that we've been working on.<p>

Can't seem to hold you like I want to  
>So I can feel you in my arms.<br>Nobody's gonna come and save you,  
>We pulled too many false alarms.<p>

We're going down,  
>And you can see it too.<br>We're going down,  
>And you know that we're doomed.<br>My dear,  
>We're slow dancing in a burning room.<p>

I was the one you always dreamed of,  
>You were the one I tried to draw.<br>How dare you say it's nothing to me?  
>Baby, you're the only light I ever saw.<p>

I'll make the most of all the sadness,  
>You'll be a bitch because you can.<br>You try to hit me just to hurt me  
>So you leave me feeling dirty<br>Because you can't understand.

We're going down,  
>And you can see it too.<br>We're going down,  
>And you know that we're doomed.<br>My dear,  
>We're slow dancing in a burning room.<p>

Go cry about it - why don't you?

My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room,

Don't you think we ought to know by now?  
>Don't you think we should have learned somehow?<br>Don't you think we ought to know by now?  
>Don't you think we should have learned somehow?<br>Don't you think we ought to know by now?  
>Don't you think we should have learned somehow?<p> 


	4. Night Moves

Pandora's Music Box

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.  
>Summary: Steve and Kono go on a stakeout to the drive-in movie theater.<br>Spoiler: None for this chapter, though you had to have seen Ep. 1:20, Ma Ke Kahakai or 1:22, Ho'ohuli Na'au to know who Uncle Keako is.

A/N: 1) I know I abandoned Pandora's Music Box and I apologize – but I had a good reason since Someone Like You seemed to kidnap my muse 2) Fear not, I am still working on SLY, like I said, one or two more chapters to go. 3) A note about Steve's car, I'm using the 1967 Mercury Marquis - which is the two door sedan featured in the pilot of the original series Hawaii Five-O, driven by Jack Lord - it works better for this story - Thank you _Ghostrider_ for the headsup! I know that OUR Steve actually drives a 1974 Mercury Marquis, but he's not in this story.

Thank you, if you're still reading. I took Qweb's suggestion a while back and started listening to the Chevrolet Anniversary station on Pandora Radio and this is one of the results.

Chapter 4 – Night Moves (Bob Seger)

# # #

Five-0 Headquarters  
>Honolulu<p>

"You mean we're taking your dad's car out on a stakeout?" Danny asked as he quickly followed Steve out of the office doors.

"Yes," Steve answered as he bounded down the stairs.

"For a movie?" Danny asked.

Steve stopped and eyed Danny with irritation. "Yes, yeah," he answered as he took off down the stairs again.

"At the Kamehameha Drive-in?" Danny asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" Danny asked back in a tone that caused Steve to stop and turn to face him after reaching the bottom step in the lobby. "Well I got news for you," the shorter detective said, pointing at his partner. "You're taking Kono, because the two of us? People would get the wrong impression -"

"Danny -" Steve said, attempting to interrupt him.

"I know there's nothing wrong with that, but I'm just saying, is all -" continued Danny, oblivious to Steve's attempt.

"Danny – Danny!" Steve exclaimed, smirking as he finally got Danny's attention. "You weren't even on my radar, babe," he said with a grin.

Danny looked affronted. "Oh, cute. That's cute – wait, are you saying I'm not good enough, now?"

# # #

Kamehameha Drive-In  
>Pearl City, Oahu<p>

"So, can I ask you something?" Kono asked as they pulled up next to the booth so that Steve could pay their fare into the drive-in.

"Sure," Steve said as he turned the car into the parking lot.

Kono grinned. "Why didn't you bring Danny?"

Steve's head swiveled in her direction and he smirked. "Oh, real funny," he said, chuckling. "Well, Kono, he's uh – he's not really my type."

Kono nodded. "So, I guess I should feel flattered that _I__ am_?" she asked, quirking a brow.

Steve couldn't help but continue to chuckle. "Oh trust me, you're a much better and prettier alternative," he said, shaking his head.

Moments later, after parking, Steve went to go and get popcorn from the concession stand. When he returned, he asked, "you see anything, Kono?"

"A couple cars down on the right. Those group of kids, don't quite look like 'kids'. They look a little iffy, they could be behind the robberies and assaults. How about you?" she asked back.

"Yeah, two rows down towards the concession stand. A double date that seems a little off," he reported. "I'll text Chin and Danny to run some intel."

Kono nodded and looked towards the screen and smiled at the cartoon playing of concession items dancing and singing, 'lets all go to the lobby'. "What are we watching again?" she asked.

Steve moved around towards the driver's side and opened the door. "_Footloose,_" he answered as he bowed down slightly to hand Kono the popcorn and sodas. He then flipped his seat forward to get into the back seat of the Ford and shut the door. But when he turned back to Kono, he found her eyeing him from the front seat.

"What?" he asked.

She arched a brow.

He shrugged and lifted his hands, looking as innocent as possible. "We're at a drive-in movie theater," he reasoned, with a straight face.

Kono smirked and handed him back the food and drinks. "Right and since we're in a '67 Ford, we should act the part?" she asked as she too got out of the car and mimicked his earlier motions to sit in the back seat with him.

"Might as well, right?" Steve said, grinning.

Kono shook her head and grabbed some popcorn from the bucket. "Pretty smooth, Boss," Kono said with a grin of her own.

"It's 'Steve'. Besides, what kind of a date would this be if I insisted you called me 'Boss' the whole time?" Steve questioned with a quirk of a brow.

Kono laughed then and shook her head. "The kind that shouldn't be happening, because last I checked, dating your boss is frowned upon," she retorted.

"Gees Kono, I thought Danny was the one who was stickler for procedure and protocol," Steve said, teasing and yet seeming a little disappointed.

Kono did a double take of the flash of dejection she saw in his eyes, thinking to herself that she must be hallucinating. "And what about you?" she asked. "You're a Navy SEAL of all things, you would think you of all people – Steven J. McGarrett, would be the worst 'stickler for protocol'," Kono responded.

"Well it's a little difficult when the woman you're working with is kind of hot," Steve said, completely unashamed of his blatant compliment. He grinned again and watched as Kono blushed profusely and then fish-mouthed before reaching out and punching him playfully in the arm.

She cleared her throat and then they both jumped as the speakers blared to life with the movie intro music and then died into static.

"What the hell?" Steve asked as he leaned forward and punched the random buttons on the Marquis' radio. "Fixing the stereo was obviously the last thing on the 'to-fix' list on this car," he said, chagrined.

Kono shook her head and giggled. "I guess it doesn't matter? I mean, I know what the story's about, it can't too different from the original. Maybe we just put it on a random station, unless you really want to listen to this movie?"

He shook his head. "Like you said, I guess we're here to work," he said smirking. "I'll leave it on this rock station then," Steve said as he settled back to eat more popcorn.

Bob Seger's _Night Moves_ started to play and as he looked over at Kono he noticed her expression change.

"What's up?" he asked.

Kono shook her head and smiled. "This car, being in the back seat and this song, it just reminds me of when I was younger," she said.

…_I was a little too tall, could've used a few pounds, tight pants points hardly renown. She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes. And points all her own sitting way up high, way up firm and high..._

Steve arched a brow. "You aren't that old," he reminded her.

She smirked. "I know, it just brings back memories of when I was a teenager, still trying figure things out."

"About?" Steve asked.

Kono blushed again. "Stuff," she shrugged. "Me, finally feeling like I was growing up and what I wanted and you know – guys."

Steve nodded and chuckled in understanding. "Continue."

_...Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy, out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy. Workin' on mysteries without any clues, workin' on our night moves. Tryin' to make some front page drive-in news, workin' on our night moves, in the summertime. In the sweet summertime..._

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Obviously debating with herself, she only took a second before giving in. "There was this guy," Kono began, giving him a sidelong glance. "He was a couple years older. He loved old school rock music, just like this. He was just about to head out on the pro-surf circuit. One moonlit night, he borrowed his dad's '68 Chevy Nova and we strapped our boards to the roof of this thing and drove out to North Shore. I remember I was grounded but I did it anyway, because there was just something about this guy," she said.

"You were in love?" Steve asked.

Kono snorted. "No – but, he wanted me – the skinny, delinquent surfer chick. He was just, I don't know – hot, you know what I mean?" she said laughing softly and shaking her head.

Steve gulped. "Yeah," he said as he watched her.

_...We weren't in love, oh no, far from it. We weren't searchin' for some pie in the sky summit. We were just young and restless and bored, livin' by the sword. And we'd steal away every chance we could, to the backroom, to the alley or the trusty woods. I used her, she used me. But neither one cared, we were gettin' our share. Workin' on our night moves, tryin' to lose the awkward teenage blues. Workin' on our night moves and it was summertime..._

"Anyway, we paddled out on our boards, but the water was too still to do any real surfing, so we just headed back to the beach. We made out on the sand and I remember it feeling – incredible. We'd fooled around a bit before, but it felt different that night," she said continuing her story.

"Maybe because I knew he was leaving. But, I guess that made us feel more free in someways. Whatever it was, there was a sudden, freak rain shower and we ended up in the back seat of that Nova. Our boards lay abandoned in the sand and we couldn't care less," Kono said chuckling.

_...And oh the wonder, we felt the lightning. And we waited on the thunder, waited on the thunder..._

Steve continued to watch her as she shook her head again, trying hard to push away the memories that were clearly having quite the effect on her. He swore he saw her blush for the third time that night.

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"Hmm?" Kono asked back, clearly lost in deep thought. "Oh, I saw him a few years later, baby mama in tow, but he was still on the surfing circuit."

"No, that's not what I meant," Steve said, gazing at her intently.

Kono looked back at him and cleared her throat. "Uhm, we never saw the cop car approach, because the uh – windows were so fogged up. But, Uncle Keako busted us. I guess my parents called him once they found out that I had snuck out," she explained sheepishly.

Steve laughed then. "Cop in the family," he said with an understanding look.

_...I awoke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered. Started humming a song from 1962. Ain't it funny how the night moves? When you just don't seem to have as much to lose.  
>Strange how the night moves, with autumn closing in...<em>

Kono pointed an index finger at him and laughed too. "Cop in the family," she reiterated. They looked at each other and grinned again and reached for the popcorn bucket simultaneously. When their hands brushed against each other, both were surprised by the sudden electricity between them.

But then, the sudden tapping on the window by Danny broke the moment. "Look at you kids, huh?" Danny asked obnoxiously.

"Hey," Steve said as he made a move to open the door. "You got something?"

"Yeah," Danny replied. "Two cars down on the right, those are our guys," he said moving off with a nod to Chin who had just joined them.

Steve and Kono got out of the Marquis, slammed the car doors shut and looked across to each other over the top of the car. She winked and he couldn't help but smile again. "Alright, let's go," he said as they moved out to join the other two members of Five-0.

End.

# # #

A/N: I know that there are very few drive-in theaters left. In fact in Hawaii, I believe there are none that are still showing movies and that most have either been or will be torn down to make way for apartments, like the one featured here, Kamehameha Drive-In. The other locations in Hawaii are now used for swap meets. It's even sadder to realize that some of you dear readers, have never or will never, be able to experience such a nostalgic treat.

Night Moves  
>- Bob Seger<p>

I was a little too tall  
>Could've used a few pounds<br>Tight pants points hardly renown  
>She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes<br>And points all her own sitting way up high  
>Way up firm and high<p>

Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy  
>Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy<br>Workin' on mysteries without any clues  
>Workin' on our night moves<br>Tryin' to make some front page drive-in news  
>Workin' on our night moves<br>In the summertime  
>In the sweet summertime<p>

We weren't in love, oh no, far from it  
>We weren't searchin' for some pie in the sky summit<br>We were just young and restless and bored  
>Livin' by the sword<br>And we'd steal away every chance we could  
>To the backroom, to the alley or the trusty woods<br>I used her, she used me  
>But neither one cared<br>We were gettin' our share  
>Workin' on our night moves<br>Tryin' to lose the awkward teenage blues  
>Workin' on our night moves<br>And it was summertime

And oh the wonder  
>We felt the lightning<br>And we waited on the thunder  
>Waited on the thunder<p>

I awoke last night to the sound of thunder  
>How far off I sat and wondered<br>Started humming a song from 1962  
>Ain't it funny how the night moves<br>When you just don't seem to have as much to lose  
>Strange how the night moves<br>With autumn closing in


End file.
